I think I won

It was not that long ago I had dinner with three friends, including one I will call W. Monger. During dinner, W. Monger decides to share his font of wisdom with us all and thereby solve all the world’s problems. It seems that Mr. Monger, never actually have doned a battle dress uniform himself, felt that America should throw more of its weight around.

“Drop ‘the bomb’ on North Korea and just turn them into a sheet of glass…” He exclaims.

Whereupon he continues to solve all the worlds problems by launching a first strike on all the countries that he feels have fallen into disfavor with his dubious ‘good graces’. It was at this juncture that I pointed out to Mr. W. Monger that North Korea, being a nuclear power itself, is just as likely to turn us into a “‘sheet of glass” right back.

I have encountered some of the younger members of Mr. W. Monger’s extended family over the years…

Back in 1986 the United States decided to bomb Libya in what we now know was called Operation El Dorado Canyon. At the time I was in the military stationed in Korea. Shortly after Operation El Dorado Canyon was taking place I was sitting in class, studying for a graduate degree, when a few members of Mr. Monger’s family piped up. In that back of the room where several young pilots who had never seen combat in their lives exclaiming excitedly how they wish they had been part of the bombing. After awhile I turned around and asked a question that immediately brought silence to the pugnacious crowd of budding pilots….

“How would you like to be one of the pilots who never made it back? Two of them were shot down.”

Silence. Blessed silence.

What brought all this to mind was a recent column by John Kass entitled “Campaign shaping up to be next Toy Story.”

”Santorum is also desperate for toys, and I don’t mean ‘Call of Duty 4 – Modern Warefare: Let’s Bomb Iran Just Because.’

The Toy I’d pick for Santorum is a Peter the Hermit action figure. Can someone please make one? Many years ago, Peter the Hermit led the peasants of Europe on a great crusade to the Holy Land, but unfortunately the peasants were all chopped to bits.”

Now I will be the first to admit that I have not followed Mr. Santorum’s politics, other than the insistance by a few political columnists that he has a proclivity for invading Iran. So I will choose my own toy for Mr. W. Monger and all his ilk – a nerf gun.

You see those who wish to fight wars, and are even anxious for them, are rarely those who have to fight them. And if you talk to those people who have fought them over the years, you will find they are almost never willing to talk about it.

Those that cry for war usually change their minds when given a choice of: Rifle and Deployment? or STFU?

Sr. Julie

March 27, 2012 | 6:15 am

When I was in Korea, the young men sporting the “death from above” T-shirts never seemed to be the same ones wearing the green beret. But to be clear, being WILLING to fight a war and being ANXIOUS to start one are two entirely different things.

“No one hates war more than the soldier who has lived it” – President Dwight Eisenhower

I’ve run into quite a few enlisted people in the past who were really gung-ho for combat. It’s even more pronounced in the officer corps, since they tend to show more bravado for appearance sake.

All my experiences – from Bosnia to Riyadh – were never pleasant ones. All the experiences I hear from people in combat are never pleasant ones (I know quite a few Marines and Army ground pounders). To hear politicians and people who have never been in combat talk about bombing this place or going to war in that place … I want to literally punt them into a warzone so they can see for themselves.

Granted, North Korea would only turn South Korea or Japan into glass, since that’s the maximum reach of their missiles atm, but still. You wouldn’t want to start a war in the region were all your production lies (China) and your trade happens.

Although I laughed at the Santorum doll comment. Nothing is worse than a religious politican trying to lead troops in a war of ideology. It never ends well, and usually ends worse for the leader.